Restaurant bio: Chef Donavon Smith opened Sweet Spice in October 2011. It offers a variety of Caribbean-inspired dishes that Smith has created from his upbringing in Jamaica. Sweet Spice specializes in a variety of dishes like jerk chicken, curry chicken, brown stew fish, oxtails, curry goat, meat patties, rice and peas, and plantains, to name a few. “When I moved to Savannah, I wanted a Jamaican beef patty and took it for granted that beef patties were available in every place I had lived prior to Savannah. That’s when the seed of a dream was born to have my own restaurant.”

Chef bio: Chef Donavon Smith grew up in Jamaica and learned how to cook from his mother. “I started at 7 or 8 cooking with her in the kitchen. By the age of 12 I could cook for my family. One of my favorite dishes from childhood is rice and peas with coconut milk and the brown stew chicken.”

He lived in Jamaica for 26 years before moving to New York City. He came to Savannah in 1999 and began to miss the classic dishes from his homeland that he was able to get in the city. Smith worked in a Jamaican restaurant in Savannah and saved up funds until he was able to open his own place. “I wanted to share the exotic flavors of the Caribbean with Savannah and create a home away from home.”

Favorite dish: Jerk Chicken

Why: “I like taking the chicken, marinating it, and changing the flavors. I enjoy the process of making the dish and perfecting it.”

JERK CHICKEN

1 whole chicken, cut up into pieces

½ tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon Walkerswood Jerk Sauce

½ teaspoon allspice

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped

½ tablespoon browning sauce

It’s important to wash your chicken in lime and vinegar so it’s clean. Then marinate it with the ingredients. Mix all of the ingredients and rub the chicken with them. Allow the marinated chicken to sit in the refrigerator over night.

Heat up your grill until it’s hot and turn it down some to get a golden brown texture on the chicken. Cook it on the grill (indoor or outdoor), and be sure tend to it. The thicker your meat is, the longer it will take to cook. Grill for 30-45 minutes, and check your cooking thermometer. It should be around 165 F to be done. Serve with Sweet Spice Reggae Sauce, available for purchase at the restaurant.